Butterflies
by LizardBot
Summary: AU - Oneshot. Haruno Sakura vowed never to fall for a pompous ass like Uchiha Sasuke ever again. Things didn't go as planned.


"If you must choose between two evils, pick the one you've never tried before."

_Butterflies_

_-_

The first time a boy ever told her, "I love you," she didn't exactly experience what most girls would have.

There were no butterflies in her stomach; she wasn't so immensely happy that she could barely contain herself.

No, if anything she was upset. In that moment, she—was angry, furious even—hated him. She knew that he was lying, that he didn't mean it. Not in the slightest. Empty words and empty promises; it wasn't the first time (one or two supposed best friends popping immediately to mind).

They had barely been going out for a week, and he'd already said it, like they were just words to be given away.

At first, she hadn't been sure how to respond. For a few minutes, she'd sat stark still, staring at him awkwardly. Her chest had constricted painfully, and it suddenly felt like all the air had gone from the world, but not in a good way. Sasuke had stared back with that insufferable smirk, looking every bit as smug as he always had. Looking at him then, a few choice words came to mind, and among them were "rat bastard" and "asshole."

He'd chuckled at her, taking her silence for insecurity, and coaxed, "C'mon, you can say it." His tone was condescending, like she was a shy child who needed guiding.

Despite her frustration, she'd played along. She returned the gesture, the words. She claimed to love him, but she didn't mean a single word.

To be perfectly honest, she wasn't even sure why. She didn't know why they both lingered on a relationship that they were so clearly unhappy with. She couldn't quite say why she'd played a part that she obviously wasn't ready for.

They were barely together for two weeks before they broke up. In all that time, they hardly spoke, didn't even share a kiss during their time together.

To say that it was a surprise when he ended up with her best friend would have been an outright lie.

Things became much clearer, then.

On some level, she'd known all along that he'd harbored something akin to feelings for Ino, even when she was dating him. So, no, it didn't surprise her. However, she wasn't exactly calm about the whole situation.

But that didn't mean that she was heart-broken, and she didn't cry once.

Okay, maybe a little.

Or maybe a lot.

Sasuke had been her first…hmm…_crush_; her first boyfriend. Though it hadn't been much of a relationship, she had cared for him on some level. But after all was said and done, she learned her lesson. After those two weeks of dating, Haruno Sakura vowed never to fall for a pompous ass like Uchiha Sasuke ever again.

Things didn't go as planned.

After the ceremonial destroying of gifts from the ex-boyfriend, Sakura wandered off to the park to clear her head. Somehow, she ended up sobbing into her hands instead.

Hidan, who had been on his way to his summer job, had spotted her on the swings, and had decided that it would be the perfect time to work his moves. This action plan, however, was quickly tossed aside when he realized that she was crying. For a moment, he considered running away. Instead, he found himself settling into the swing beside hers. The movement of the set caught her attention, and she looked up to see who it was.

When he caught sight of her face, cheeks flushed and eyes red from crying, he cringed.

Sakura would never forget the words that came out of his mouth next,

"Damn, you look like shit." He then promptly shoved a box of Kleenex in her face (and at that point, she had to wonder if _all _boys carried boxes of tissues around with them, or if Hidan was just an exception).

She had glared at him long and hard and dared him to repeat that. When he did, she socked him hard enough to give him a black eye. Then she broke out into a rant, because what right did this—this _stranger_ have to say things like that to her??

Despite being pummeled and scolded, he grinned at her and comforted her and led her out of her inner despair in a way that only Hidan could manage. With insults and jeers.

"So what? You got dumped? Get over it, girly."

"I didn't get dumped!" she replied, offended and furious. She told him exactly what had happened, her voice growing louder as she went on. She gesticulated wildly and her eyes sparked with a fire that she hadn't felt in days. By the end of her tale, her chest was heaving, and she was suddenly standing across from him, having jumped off of the swing to pace as she spoke.

Much to her surprise, Hidan listened with a calm continence that belied his brazen nature. When she finished, his only reply was, "What an asshole."

Sakura couldn't quite suppress that grin that stole over her face at that.

She had her first kiss two weeks later; stolen by brash snowy-haired teen with a grin that made her insides to funny things. It was the first of many kisses, in fact. They started officially dating the following week, and it was six months later that Hidan informed her that might possibly, maybe, sort of, okay kind of, probably, well, definitely loved her.

Sakura had butterflies coming out of her ears.

She returned the sentiment immediately. She did love him, she claimed, and it took no coaxing. This time, she meant it.

Hidan was a pompous ass. But he was also sweet (when he wanted to be) and caring (when he wanted to be) and she knew he genuinely loved her. So she could deal with his rash attitude and blatant disrespect for her parents (even if they couldn't).

Yes, Hidan was a pompous ass, but he was _her_ pompous ass.

-

**A/N: **Okay, so, to those of you who are still with me and following this crazy series; much appreciated. If you didn't get the memo, I've decided to rewrite the _Butterflies_ series, and I've started with number one. So, I hope you enjoy this version a lot better than the first, because I rather do. If not…well…

your mom.

Regards,

C.T.


End file.
